1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card for cleaning a card passageway in an automatic ticket gate at a train station, an automatic telling machine at a bank, a public pay phone, or various types of machines which read (and process) personal cards.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two main types of card processor, one which magnetically reads information stored on a magnetic card, and another which optically reads information stored using a barcode on a barcode data card. Furthermore, the insertion direction of such a device may be one-directional or bidirectional, and some devices can read the card irrespective of whether the card is face up or face down.
An example of a device for processing a magnetic card is shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. This device comprises magnetic reading heads (11, 11) which directly face rollers (12, 12), a pair of conveyor belts (13, 13), laid between the rollers (12, 12), for holding a card and conveying it, and sloping card lead-in faces (102, 102) of card insertion portion 101.
FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 represent both a magnetic system and an optical system. These systems may be one-directional or bidirectional. One system can process a card face up or face down, while another system can only process cards that have been inserted face up.
Barcode-type cards are read by optical sensors (10, 10). The width of the conveyor belts (13, 13) is narrow to allow the optical sensors (10, 10) to remain exposed. Optical sensors may also be provided directly to rotating rollers (not shown) thereby eliminating the need for conveyer belts (13, 13).
In the set-up depicted in the diagrams, dust (14) is liable to gather and accumulate in the card insertion portion (101), and especially on the sloping card lead-in faces (102, 102). Such dust can be transferred to the magnetic heads (11, 11) or the optical sensors (10, 10), where it cover the magnetic gap of the magnetic heads (11, 11) or the detection faces of the optical sensors (10, 10), thereby preventing the card from being read.
Conventionally, such card processors are cleaned by inserting a paper card or a paper card (sheet) with an unwoven cloth pasted thereto, or a card of similar structure.
However, such cleaning cards (sheets) cannot remove dust lodged within concavities in the card passageway, or dust adhering to the card lead-in faces (102, 102). Consequently, minute dust particles always remain around the reading heads 11. Once these dust particles begin to accumulate they may fall, within the magnetic gap of the reading heads (11). This leads to faulty operation, causes the reading heads 11 to become more dirty and is as source of endless problems.